Airplane



'1,411,6scg.

C. JENSEN.

" MRPLANE.

APPLICATION man APR. 6, 1920.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922. Qii 2 SHEETSAHEET l.

C. JENSEN.

AIRPLANE. l APPucATloN FILED APR. s. 1920.

2 SAHEETS-SHEET 2.

1,41 1,630, Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

- i v" "Q ASL/AG# A i UNITED STATES CONSTAN JENSEN, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AIRPLNE.

To all whom it'may camera:

Be it known that l UoNsTAN JENSEN, a citizen of the United tates, and a resident of Los Angeles, in the county `of Los Angeles, State .of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Airplanes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to airplanes and more particularly to a type of airplane in which the forwardl directedair currents set up durin the llght of the vehicle may be utilized for increasing the propulsive force of the vehicle.

The primary object of my invention is to provide in an airplane of conventional type means whereby the forwardly directed air currents set up by the flight of the vehicle through the air, together with superinduced air currents created by the operation of a fan concentrically mounted with the propeller, may be utilized for increasing the propulsive force of the vehicle. To this end have provided on the exterior of the usual fuselage of an airplane an outer covering, or false body, which may extend wholly or partially around the exterior of the fuselage and is spaced therefrom for providing an encircling air space through which the forward air currents may be directed.

Another obj'ect is to provide Within the said air space around the fuselage a series of vanes attached at regular intervals to the exterior of the fuselage and another similar series of vanes attached also at regular intervals to the interior of the outer covering and staggered with respect to the vanes on the. fuselage; said vanes being adapted to intercept the forward air currents and thus serve to assist the usual form of propeller in moving the vehicle through the air.

A still further object is to provide in connection lwith said outer covering and said vanes, an induced draft fan mounted preferably at the front end of the fuselage and at the rear of the propeller, at the front end of the said air space, for inducing currents of air through said air space during the operation of the propeller, for the purpose described.

ln the consideration of my invention it will be readil understood that the propel- 1ers on all modyern types of airplanes are two or four blade propellers and have their Speoication of Letters Patent.

,Application -led April 6,

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

1920. serial No. 371,661.

maximum eficiency on their outermost portions, the central portions near the hub providing a minimum efciency and adding but little to the ropulsive force of the vehicle.

With this fbature in mind I have provided a fan mounted on the propeller shaft and adapted to rotate with the propeller of the airplane, but having its vanes so disposed as to create and set vup forwardly directed air currents, whereas the propeller creates reyersely directed currents during its operat1on.

The provision of the induced current fan at the front end of the air space surroundlng the fuselage, it will be apparent will create forwardly directed air currents in the air space and these currents being intercepted by the series of vanes on the opposite sides of the air space, said vanes being open to receive the currents at their rear ends, will necessarily and substantially increase the speed and climbing ability of the vehicle in Hight and add greatly to its efliciency. Other objects may appear as the description progresses.

l have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention in the drawings annexed hereto and forming a part of this application which is subject to substantial modification within the scope of the appended claims:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a monoplane of well known type showing the outer covering surrounding the fuselage in section and the series of vanes in the air space formed thereby.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same with the outer covering in section.

Fig. 3 is a front end elevation of the same.

Fig, a is a transverse section of the airplane on line ll-l of F ig. l.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of a portion of the fuselage which is also typical of the outer covering and shows the vanes mounted in position for use.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged section of one of the vanes.

My improvements are shown a plied to a well known type of monoplane" aving the usual fuselage ll, propeller P, planes W, W on opposite sides of the fuselage, rudder-R and elevator E. For the purpose of carrying out the objects of my invention as hereinbefore described l provide an outer enclosing cover C of metal or other suitable material depending upon the character of the airplane, which extends approximately half-way over` a suitable portion of the length of the fuselage F. Said cover C may be supported on the fuselage F by means of a plurality of bolts B, B, etc., to hold the outer cover C fixed relative to the fuselage and lspaced therefrom a suitable distance. The alr space S thus rovided between the linner surface F ofthe Eiselage and the outer surface C of the` cover is open at 10 at the front end of the vehicle and at 11 at the rear end of the air space so as to admit and discharge the air currents. I

The outer cover C, however, may pro1ect slightly over the end of the fuselage F at .the front end so as to receive a fan f which is concentrically mounted on the propeller shaft P at a point just to the rear of the propeller P. Said fan has the blades thereof so arranged as to produce air currents Within the space S which will have a reverse direction to,those created by the operation of the propeller P, thus serving to induce currents of air through the opening 11 of the s ace S and through said space and to discliarge the currents through the front opening 10 and the fan f.

It may be necessary in some t pes of planes to break the cover C around t e cockpit F of the lfuselage, or the portion of said space immediately in front of the cockpit may be omitted and that portion over the to of the hood may be connected wlth the si e portions of the space so as to afford a continuous passa for the full length of the vehicle and partlcularly at the front end of said space to provide a discharge outlet completely around the periphery of the fan f so as to provide maximum efficiency.

A series of blades b, b, etc., of semi-conical form are suitably attached to the'outer surface of the fuselage F in spaced relation both longitudinally and transversely thereof, and are arranged preferably in rows; the blades of one row being staggered with respect to the adjacent rows. The inner surface of the outer cover C also has a similar series of blades b', b', etc., also arranged in sta gered relation with res ect to each other andv with respect to the b ades b, b, of the fuselage, and the blades on both the inner and outer surface of the structure are scalelike in form' and have their largest end pointed rearwardly and the ed es thereof are attached to the surfaces of t e fuselage and cover so as to provide air pockets within the blades for the interception of thc forward air currents inthe space S.

It will be thus obvious that the impingcment of the air upon the blades b and b', when the fagrf is operating, will increase the c ciency and speed of the vehicle substantlally and will in vno wise impair the 1,411,eao

efficiency of the propeller P, inasmuch as the fan is applied to the propeller shaft and has range of usefulness which is lnside of the ran e of eflicient operation of the propeller blades.

What I claim is:

1. An airplane embodying a fuselage, and an outer covering spaced from and surrounding said fuselage, an air space being provided therebetween having openings at the front and rear, a plurality of vanes sup- .ported in said air space and means for artificially inducing forward air currents through said space. l

2. An airplane embodying a fuselage, an outer covering spaced from and surrounding said fuselage and forming an air space therebetween with openings and the front and rear ends, said covering being extended at the front end substantially beyond the end of said fuselage, a plurality of vanes supported in said air space and means mounted within said extension for artificially inducing forward air currents through said space.

3. An airplane having a fuselage provided with inner and outer walls spaced apartV for affording 4an air space therebetween, said air space being open at the ends and said outer wall being extended at the front beyond said inner wall, a fan mounted thereon at the front within said outer wall extension for inducing air currents through said space, and vanes on the inner surface of said outer wall and on the outer surface of said inner wall, for intercepting said air currents, as described.

4. An airplane havin a fuselage with inner and outer walls an an air space therebetween extending over partially and around said fuselage, a series of staggered vanes inclinably held on the inner surface of said outer wall and on the outer side of said inner wall for intercepting the air currents in said space, and a fan rotatably supported in front of said space for inducing air currents therethrough, as described.

V5. An airplane havin a fuselage with inner and vouter space walls, transverse members for holding said walls in spaced relation, and a lurality of vanes intermediate said wall)s and inclined from the front to the rear thereof, for-intercepting air currents induced forwardly therethrough vand a fan adapted to induce forwardly moving currents of air through the space between said walls.

6. An airplane havin inner and outer space walls, transverse members for supporting said walls in spaced relation, an air inlet being provided at the rear end and an outlet being provided at the front end of said space, a fan rotatably mounted at the front of said opening, vanes within the space between said walls adapted a fuselage with to intercept forwardly moving currents of air set up by said fan, and a propeller adjacent said fan, as described.

7. An airplane as characterized in claim 6 having said fan and said propeller concentrically mounted on a common driving shaft.

8. An airplane as characterized in claim 6 having said fan and said propeller commonly mounted on an operating shaft, said fan being -of substantially less diameter than said propeller.

9. ln an airplane the combination with a fuselage having inner and outer spaced walls and a plurality of vanes disposed intermediate said walls, of a propeller mounted at'one end of said fuselage for propelling the vehicle, and a fan rotatably held at one end of said fuselage for forcing currents of air through the space between said walls.

forwardly moving currents of air through 35 said space.

CONSTAN JENSEN. Witnesses:

ADA ELLIGTT, Hormon 3. Winsen. 

